Runyan ready to put it on the line

Injured tackle insists he'll start Sunday, extend streak to 129.

NFC Championship: Atlanta Falcons at Philadelphia Eagles

January 21, 2005|By Larry O'Rourke Of The Morning Call

Jon Runyan was still figuring out whether a knee brace or a lot of tape is the better option, and if there was anything else he could do to get his sprained medial collateral ligament into something resembling its usual health.

But the 6-7, 330-pound Philadelphia Eagles right tackle vowed Thursday that Sunday, when the Eagles host the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC Championship Game, will be like the previous 128 game days of his NFL career. Count him in for a 129th consecutive start.

"I've played nine years now. If you don't play hurt, you're not going to be around for too long of a time. You do what you can. You brace it up, tape it up, try different things. I'm still trying different things to see which works the best."

Runyan, who suffered the knee injury late last Sunday in the Eagles' 27-14 NFC semifinal victory over the Minnesota Vikings and tested it Thursday in practice, said he went for an acupuncture treatment early in the week and was scheduled for another Thursday night.

"You throw everything you can at it," Runyan said.

Runyan's bosses also sound convinced that their big man will find a way to play.

Less certain, however, is what the Eagles will do if Runyan can't play, or gets partway through the game and finds he can't finish.

"It'll be interesting," Childress said.

Childress mentioned the possibility of moving Artis Hicks from left guard to right tackle, Jermane Mayberry from right guard to tackle, or even having center Hank Fraley shift to tackle, his primary position in college. If a guard fills in for Runyan -- and Hicks seems to be the most likely candidate -- Steve Sciullo undoubtedly will take over at the vacant guard spot. If Fraley shifts to tackle, the relatively inexperienced Alonzo Ephraim will play center.

But if Runyan can back up his vow to play, it will not be necessary for the Eagles to initiate any of those scenarios.

Falcons defensive end Patrick Kerney, a 6-5, 273-pound Bucks County native who had a career-high 13 sacks during the regular season.

"Kerney is a high-motor kind of guy who moves around," Runyan said. "Like all defensive ends, he'll wait for you to make a mistake, get you out of position, and he'll take advantage of it."

What forecasters predict will be a wintry afternoon/evening in South Philly.

"Snow is not an issue," Runyan said. "The field already is in bad shape, and when you get it wet, it will be worse. The field is to my advantage because you wait for the lighter guys to make the moves and cuts, and then you catch them off balance."